


now i have something else to fight for

by evaneddie



Series: dhylen writes one shots [29]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, LITERALLY, M/M, cuz they're in a storm drain, if you haven't seen that go do so before reading, it'll make u emotional, it's based off the trailer for 3b we got the other day, look this is mostly a rescue fic with some cute buddie, lots of rapidly moving water in this fic, talks of breaking a kid's foot so don't read if that would upset you, while it's storming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22838173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evaneddie/pseuds/evaneddie
Summary: eddie has to rescue a boy trapped in a storm drain he fell into while hanging with his friends
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Series: dhylen writes one shots [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1433956
Comments: 20
Kudos: 230





	now i have something else to fight for

**Author's Note:**

> this came to me because of the trailer for 3b  
> i hope you enjoy!

He's just a kid. A kid not much older than Christopher. That fact alone makes Eddie want to cry. He can't, for obvious reasons. One is that he needs to stay professional, especially for this child's mental well-being. If he sees his rescuer in a panic, that will only make him doubt his survival even more. Another reason is not only that he is at work and on a job, but that his best friend is standing right there in front of him, tears welling up in his eyes as he begs Eddie not to go.

But he has to, and he knows Buck understands that, even if he doesn't want to, even if he pretends that he doesn't get it. Sure, Buck's right about one thing, Eddie has his son to think of, and something this dangerous could leave his boy without his dad around, and there's no way Eddie wants that. Not as though Buck doesn't have faith in Eddie's skills, because he does, more than he has in his own. No, he's genuinely worried about Eddie going on this rescue. It's a tight space, but Eddie's been in tight spaces before, and he knows he can do this. Okay, he's pretty certain, but nothing is guaranteed when you're a firefighter.

"Please, Eddie. You have Chris, you have so much more to lose than I do. Let me go, I can do this." Buck looks Eddie in his eyes, emotion swimming endlessly through his irises, the usually vibrant blue colours now dull with worry. His face is drenched in rain droplets, and if he hadn't cut his hair recently, Eddie knows it would be sticking to his forehead in all types of ways, which Eddie would find adorable. But any Buck to him is adorable, really.

"You have just as much to lose as I do, Evan. You have Christopher to worry about too, and me," he whispers harshly, not wanting the rest of the team to overhear from where they stand ten feet away, connecting Eddie's body cam wirelessly to the screens in front of them. It's not like he's dawdling or anything. He's attaching his harness in all the right places as they talk. Well, as they heatedly discuss their current predicament.

Buck has been through too much recently, what with the accident, the tsunami, and the blood thinners. Eddie doesn't need him to put himself in more danger than necessary. He can't lose him. That's his best friend, the one person he's come to count on more than he ever thought possible.

"Eddie, I'm begging you to let me go down there," he begs once more, wiping the water from his face as if it does something - it doesn't, Buck, the rain is still falling, there was no point in doing that.

Before he knows what comes over him, and before he can stop himself, he's taking the one stride forward that there is between them and cupping Buck's cheeks in his hands. It does the job, shutting him up almost instantly.

"Buck, I'm gonna get out of this. I can't risk you going and scratching yourself while you're still on thinners." He could easily bleed out within minutes, and that won't be happening if Eddie has any say in it.

Dipping his head, Buck nods ever so gently, something barely there, as if he has finally realised that Eddie would not be giving up this fight. "Be careful."

He looks back up at Eddie, and Eddie just wants to blurt out his true feelings right there. His hands are still holding either side of Buck's face, and Buck lifts his head and starts tightening the harness around Eddie's shoulders, ensuring that he is as safe as can be. Eddie doesn't want to let Buck know how worried he actually is, so he doesn't say anything.

Then, he can't stop himself anymore. Stepping ever so slightly on his toes and craning his head to get the perfect angle, he places a soft and quick kiss to Buck's lips. "Now I have something else to fight for."

Saying nothing in return, Buck smiles softly and grabs the rope and clips it to the hooks on the straps. 

When Eddie gets to the entrance of the drain, he calls out to the boy. "Hey, kid. I'm coming down there, okay? I'm gonna get you out."

There's a heavy sound of panic in the small voice when it responds. "Hurry, the water's getting higher. I - I can't swim."

Stupid kids these days, always getting stuck in the strangest of places. "I know, buddy. Just hold on, okay?"

"Okay," Eddie hears over the rushing of the water below and the rain pouring from the skies above him. Everything is slippery, and making his job ten times harder.

As Buck holds the rope tightly above him, guiding him down, Eddie braces his hands against the wet walls, that in all honesty are way to close together for his liking. Now isn't the time to be thinking of that, though, so he pushes the terrifying thoughts away.

The winch that Buck uses makes soft clicking sounds as Eddie is lowered further into the drain pipe. How did this kid even end up down here?

It's a slow process, and there's rainwater splashing all around Eddie's face, making him splutter slightly every now and then, and the rapids under him only seem to be getting faster.

"Hi," he says as he comes face to face with the boy. He already knows every detail he can about the twelve year old, thanks to dispatch and his friends that called emergency services. Without them, things could be a lot more grim. He already knows every detail, but asks the simple question anyway, to help keep the both of them calm. "I'm Eddie, what's your name?"

"Matthew," responds the boy, shivering in the cold. 

Eddie twists his hand around the rope supporting his weight, and gives it two swift tugs signalling that he only needs one more turn of the winch to give the correct amount of line.

Half of his body is already submerged in the water, and he's still got his hands on the walls. If the water weren't flowing so fast, the easiest and safest route would be to tell Matthew to float and let the level rise until he could climb out. Then Eddie wouldn't have had to come down here. But with the current, he would get sucked under and swept away in milliseconds.

So here Eddie is, holding on dearly to the cable clipped to him, the light on his helmet illuminating the boy's distraught and tired face. He's been fighting here for the last twenty minutes, and probably doesn't have too much left in him.

"Matthew, I need you to tell me if you are hurt anywhere." Eddie reaches out, and puts a sturdy hand on his shoulder, then slips purposely further away from the drain entrance so he can hold onto the same grate that Matthew has been holding onto for dear life.

Nodding, he speaks clearly. "My leg; it's stuck in the grate I'm holding, and it hurts bad."

Shit. The whole floating plan would have been a bust anyhow.

From where he is right now, there is no way in the world Eddie would be able to see through all the water, so the only choice he has is to go under and assess the situation. 

"How did you get stuck down here?" he asks.

Matthew replies solemnly. "Was playing around with my friends and I slipped."

Silently, he wonders how Buck would even be able to handle this if it were he doing the rescue. He's been doing really well since the events after the tsunami. Not at first, but lately things have been better. Eddie thinks for yet another reason, he was right to go down instead. He doesn't even want to imagine what kind of memories this could possibly bring back up for him.

None of it matters right now. All that matters is getting Matthew and himself out of the storm drain safely. Unscathed, preferably, but that's not a necessity.

"You just keep holding on, okay Matthew?" Eddie instructs, not wasting another second before sucking in a deep intake of oxygen and slipping under the water, while his left hand still holds the grate in the wall so he can find his way back.

Everything around him is murky, making it hard to see much, but fights through it, blinking rapidly searching for a way to get the young boy free. His leg appears to be stuck between two rusty beams in the grate Eddie is holding, and after giving it a few tugs and twists, Eddie comes to the conclusion that it isn't going to budge easily.

Emerging from under the water, Eddie surfaces right in front of Matthew's face, mentally preparing to give him the news.

A clap of thunder above makes them both jump in shock, and Eddie takes a shaky breath. "Do you want the cold hard truth or do you want me to be nice about it?"

"Don't lie to me," Matthew says.

"It's bad. We can get you out, but the only way that is going to be fast enough is going to be really painful." He's not going to sugarcoat it, not when the boy specifically asked not to be lied to.

"Painful?"

There are times in life why lying is pretty much essential. Not just lying either, but avoiding the truth. Eddie is not going to directly lie to Matthew, but he knows if it were his own son down here, he would want someone to tell him as little as possible as to not freak him out too much.

"Yeah, but you're strong, I know it. Just do not let go of the bars, do you hear me?" That's the only thing the boy needs to do. Hold on. Then Eddie can get him out of here.

"I'm scared," admits Matthew, his voice trembling with each letter. Of course he's scared, anyone in their right mind would be during a time like this, even a grown adult. 

Gently, he placed his hand on Matthew's neck, cradling his face. "You've got this."

With that he dips under the surface again and moves towards where he needs to extract the limb. If he had more time, he'd get Buck to send down the jaws of life, which he knows would only just narrowly fit through the entrance. He'd be able to pry the beams apart and free Matthew's trapped leg. But it wouldn't be long before the entire place is entirely inundated with rushing liquid. 

He doesn't inhale deeply like he would if here were on dry land before doing something as crazy as this. Though he is downright submerged in water and thunderous sounds are all around him, Eddie knows he's going to be able to hear the screams of agony as he works on the leg.

Here goes nothing.

Eddie snakes one of his hands through the bars next to the small leg. He tries again, one last time, to twist the limb in order to remove it. But the beams are too close together, leaving no room for the bones in his ankle to pass through.

So Eddie grabs at the toes, and in the other hand he holds the back of Matthew's calf muscle at the base of his leg where it connects to his Achilles. Swiftly he forces the foot backwards and holds the rest of the leg as still as he can. As expected, he can hear the loud wail from Matthew above him, even though it's muffled due to the water currently blocking his ears. Still, however, it's clear enough to make Eddie sick to his stomach. 

At least now Matthew's leg is free from the grate. That was Eddie's main goal.

Resurfacing once more, he grabs the kid in his arms and pulls him into a tight hug while still holding the oxidised bars.

"I'm sorry," Eddie says as Matthew sobs loudly in pain. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

He hates this part of the job. Having people in pain, especially children, hurts his heart. 

"Matthew, I need you to wrap yourself around me as tightly as you can okay? Like a monkey." It's a simple way of explaining how things like this work.

Matthew does as he's told, but leaves his injured leg hanging limp underneath his body. Eddie can understand why, and knows he can work with that, so he says naught about it. 

Giving the cable a swift three tugs, he lets go of the grate and holds the kid close to him, allowing him to keep crying into the crook of Eddie's neck.

It doesn't take long before they start moving closer to the top, and he watches below as the water level still rapidly rises.

"Buck, you need to take him first, we can't both fit at the same time!" Eddie shouts upwards, knowing his partner is close by.

Suddenly, a hand is thrown down the entrance, and Eddie lifts Matthew higher so that he can grab on to Buck's hand.

"He'll take care of you, he's the best man I know," he whispers in Matthew's ear.

"Careful of his foot, I had to break it to get him free!" Eddie yells once again.

Soon, Eddie is all alone in the entrance to the drain, and he's shivering like a leaf. He can't imagine how cold Matthew must be now, being in there for twenty minutes longer than Eddie and now that the adrenaline of the evening's events will be wearing off.

"Eddie, grab my hand," Buck calls down to him.

But something happens. At first he had thought the rope had snapped, and his stomach drops as his body falls further down into the water. 

"Buck!" he yells, not directly asking what just happened, but asking anyway.

"The winch is giving way, I have to pull the rope up by hand!" The fear alone in Buck's voice is almost enough to make Eddie give up right now. But Buck is smart, and resourceful, so he has no reason to give up. Other than the fact that he is very drained.

"Chimney, Bobby, help me pull the cable!" Buck shouts.

It doesn't take long for Eddie to start moving again, in the correct direction this time. As soon as he reaches the top, Buck's hand is there, like it was moments earlier for Matthew.

Eddie swings his arm up and grabs the offered hand. In other circumstances, Eddie's stomach would be filled with butterflies at the sensation of Buck's hand in his own. Unfortunately, though, this isn't any other situation.

As soon as he's on solid land, his legs give way under his body, weak from the exertion. Strong arms are wrapped around him, holding him steady as they slowly sit on the cement.

Buck is holding Eddie, and Eddie feels so small and weak, but stronger by the minute all thanks to Buck. He just has that effect on Eddie.

"You scared the hell out of me," Buck mumbles over the pouring of rain.

"Let's get you guys out of the wet," Chimney interrupts.

Hen is in the back of the ambulance, putting a splint around Matthew's leg, and with his arm around Buck's waist, Eddie pulls him along in that direction.

"How is he?" Eddie asks the paramedic, loving the heaviness of Buck's arm slung over his shoulder.

"I sedated him because of the pain, and we are about to head to the hospital. Just let me check you over first." Hen's voice is soothing and caring, like she was born for this job.

He wants to decline the offer, but he knows that Buck would give him shit for it, so he begrudgingly accepts and sits on the edge of the truck.

She checks his pulse, checks his temperature, and flashes her light in his eyes.

"Keep those scrapes clean and you should be fine," she smiles. Turning to Buck, she speaks again, "Buck, please go get our boy warm."

Eddie steps off the vehicle and onto the ground below. He and Buck make their way to the ladder truck, and sit close to one another after Buck turns the engine on and flicks the heater up.

Buck hasn't said anything since he pulled him out of the storm drain, and Eddie's slightly worried he messed up by kissing him earlier. Sure it was a very quick thing, but it crossed that line they had been dancing for almost two years.

It scares him. He can't lose the closest friend he has ever had, the man he loves. He can't have another person drop out of Chris' life.

Eddie looks over at Buck who seems to be having a million thoughts running through his head. Eddie wants to ask what he's thinking about, but he doesn't want to push.

There's a soft pressure on Eddie's right hand, and it starts to wind its way through his fingers before grasping tighter. When he looks down, he sees Buck's shaky hand encompassing his, and he smiles widely.

Maybe he hadn't screwed this up.

"You okay?" Buck eventually speaks up, breaking the silence. 

Eddie knows they don't have long before Bobby returns to the truck and drives back to the station. So he needs to get this over with.

"I'm a bit low in energy, but otherwise I'm okay. I do have you by my side, after all."

Looking at Buck's face, he sees a mirror image of his own smile. It's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

But Buck stands up quickly, still holding Eddie's hand. Just as Eddie is about to stand next to him, Buck turns his back to the front of the truck so he can face Eddie.

They manoeuvre around one under until Buck is comfortably on top of Eddie's lap, straddling his hips, his knees on either side of Eddie's body.

He's glad Hen isn't about to check his pulse again, because it's definitely faster than it should be.

Leaning forward, Eddie captures Buck's mouth with his own warm one. They move slowly, purposefully, the only sound to be heard around them is their heavy breathing and wet mouths dancing.

Buck feels amazing on top of him, tangled with him, his mouth on Eddie's. Letting go of their linked hands, Eddie cups Buck through his jeans with one hand, and places the other on the back of his neck to pull him closer. He wants to know what it feels like to be inside of him, to open him up in every way possible, but he can't test any theories out just yet, but maybe later.

Winding his arms around Eddie's neck, Buck holds on tightly, like he's imagining Eddie slipping away at any moment.


End file.
